22nd Oct 2015 – Durham

COLLARD GREENS

It was time to bid farewell to New York and head to Teterboro for the final time. The Legacy was loaded with fresh New Jersey Sushi and we were off on our travels again. Landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport we were driven supremely by a lovely young lady in an S Class which had covered 150,000 miles – and felt like new – to one of the vertices of what is known as the Research Triangle.

Durham is well known these days for its medical research credentials but in the late 19th century the prosperity of the Bull Durham Tobacco Company which acquired the Lucky Strike brand, resulted in the rapid growth of the city of Durham. As a result of its substantial African-American community, a prominent Civil Rights movement developed in Durham. Multiple sit-ins were held, and Martin Luther King, Jr., visited the city during the struggle for equal rights. After the departure of the tobacco industry, large-scale renovations of the historic factories into offices, condominiums, and restaurants began to reshape downtown and that’s where we found ourselves this evening – the fabulous Durham Performing Arts Centre. One of the best and well run music venues of the tour, Dave Dixon told me that the main hall was definitely the best sounding on this tour with virtually no high-end reflection and only a minimal low end issue, something all large rooms suffer with.

The walls of the backstage hallways are adorned with posters and hand-painted artwork depicting previous shows and theatrical productions. It seems everyone has been here….including Susan Boyle!? After our sound check, we visited catering as per usual and it was superb, freshly prepared fish, Collard Greens and home made Corn Bread (very ‘Southern’) was what I opted for. All great. With an 8:30pm show time, there was time for a wander around the venue and a few snaps.

After our intense New York run, the show tonight felt relaxed yet genuinely fun. Another fantastic, very musical audience and we were waving our goodbyes once again and off to the plane, loaded with North Carolina Ribs, bound for a day off in Atlanta and for me, the prospect of some golf in the sun.

Today’s Track of the Day is Look Down That Lonesome Road – Tim O’Brien (in 1970 when our dear friend Tim dropped out of college, he was known to write to his mum saying “I’m heading west. I know 200 songs now, and I figure if I keep learning more I should be all right.”)